Beijing temporarily shuts 100 industrial facilities to curb smog

On Jan. 15, Beijing authorities either closed temporarily or reduced production at 100 chemical plants, construction sites and factories to curb the air pollution. / Bloomberg

In the past few days, northern and eastern China - Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Hebei - have witnessed the worst smog in several years.

On Jan. 15, Beijing authorities either closed temporarily or reduced production at 100 chemical plants, construction sites and factories to curb the air pollution. The effect of the smog was such that when a 1,000 meter squared furniture factory in China's Zhejiang province caught fire on Jan. 14, the fire went unnoticed for three hours, reported Xinghua.